


The Rule of Time

by FreakinGodzilla



Category: Labyrinth (1986)
Genre: Be Careful What You Wish For, Hinted Jareth/Sarah Williams, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-25
Updated: 2017-02-25
Packaged: 2018-09-26 18:05:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,703
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9914603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FreakinGodzilla/pseuds/FreakinGodzilla
Summary: A teenage Toby needs Jareth's help to win a girl over.





	

_I have re-ordered time…_

_I have turned the world upside down…_

A teenaged boy stared into the rearview mirror of a red truck. The red hood was just beginning to rust and the engine often made questionable sounds that would draw sceptical and anxious glances from whomever was occupying the passenger seat when it did. Toby had pouted when his father had surprised him with the discolored vision of it on his sixteenth birthday.

It was _not_ what he had asked for.

His father insisted, however, that he use this truck until he could find a job and pay for his own car. When Toby had rolled his eyes, his father began his famous long spiel on how he had done the same thing with Sarah when she was sixteen, and how it had worked on her, and she hadn't complained much, and Sarah was perfect and Sarah _never_ pouted.

Toby scoffed, and brushed his dirty blonde hair across his forehead. It had been pale at one time but gradually as he got older it had darkened. Sometimes a curl would spring through and he'd have to hide it or ask for his mother's assistance with taming it. His pale skin was red and blotchy. He hoped that the bad lighting in the house his truck was parked outside of would conceal the effects of teenage puberty. Taking a second to admire his own handsome blue eyes - the only feature he truly liked as of late - Toby readied himself to exit the tarnished truck.

When his sneakers touched the patchy front yard Toby took a deep breath, his lungs filling with the crisp night's air. He stuck his shaking hands into the pockets of his jeans and tried to relax his posture.

The sound of music drifted to his ears from the inside of the house. Toby walked towards the porch of the quaint two-story house. A girl sat on the porch, red permed locks shinned underneath the porch light, almost completely concealing her freckled face from him. "Hey, Toby." Her small voice called in greeting. She raised a freckled hand and waved.

"Hey." He said nothing further, his face spared her not a glance as he focused instead on knocking on the front door.

"It's open," she said, her voice sounding a bit smaller and unsure then it had before.

"Thanks." He said and opened the door.

Multicolored lights encased his figure and he stepped into the room. The bass of the music shook the frame of the house. The wooden had not been built to support the vibrations and footsteps of the dancing teens.

Toby scanned the room full of burly football players and thin writhing cheerleaders. He brushed his hair back as his pale blue eyes discovered the figure that he had been searching for. His feet walked towards her with purpose, but her back was turned towards him.

She jumped when he tapped her on the shoulder. Turning, he was met with big brown eyes and perfectly straight short brown hair. "Hey, Toby." She smiled.

"Hey, Isabelle…" He said and fidgeted. Toby frowned as his mind tried to remember the lines he had recited to himself just a few minutes ago.

"I, uh…" he paused and his cheeks flamed.

"Hmm?" He stared at her perfect teeth as she was distracted by someone else calling her across the room. Toby watched as he slowly lost her attention and he braced himself as he skipped over the dialogue he had prepared and memorized days before. "I wanted to ask you out on a date sometime." The warmth in his cheeks spread.

Her brown eyes snapped back to him. She brought up a manicured hand and scratched her head. Isabelle's eyes flickered to across the room and back at Toby. "Uh," her voice was raspy, "Toby, I am absolutely flattered…"

He wrinkled his nose and frowned.

"-It's not that I don't appreciate you asking me…" She stumbled over her words. His expression did not change and his hands tucked themselves back into his jean pockets. "I just don't look at you the same way," she finished.

He nodded and took a step back. Isabelle, seeing his retreat, gave him an inauthentic smile before turning and walking to the side of the room that had grabbed her attention earlier.

Toby snorted when he saw the football team greet her with cheers. She flashed her famous perfect smile at the quarterback and heat rushed through Toby's body, though it was not the kind of heat he was very accustomed to as a teenaged boy. This warmth was less pleasant. His hands clenched into fists in his pockets and he walked out of the room with his head down and brow furrowed. On his way out he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror.

Lanky, blotchy and his face was bright red - the worst he had ever seen it.

Taking a step out onto the porch, he braced himself. The redhead had disappeared. It was just him and the porchlight. He didn't want to go home, he didn't want to get into his truck.

He wanted to fix this, but he didn't know how. Perhaps if he had said something different? Perhaps if he had actually recited the lines he had memorized?

If only he could go back in time and fix it. Surely he'd have Isabelle on his arm then?

A phrase from a bedtime story Sarah had once told him flickered through his mind… Toby found the idea absolutely childish. It was stupid - so unlike him to ponder on - and yet…

He found himself wishing.

"I wish the Goblins would _help_ me."

The porchlight flickered. A mosquito landed on it. The music still pounded on and the wind still blew.

"Of course not." He cursed and leaned against the wall. Closing his eyes, he made up his mind to just get in the truck and drive home. Maybe he would try out for the football team, or join a gym.

A breeze scattered leaves across his feet.

Toby cracked his eyes open, looking down and cocking his head when he found the porch had been perfectly sweeped. Probably a bug, he decided.

Looking up, Toby's heart skipped a beat when his eyes were met with a menacing figure before him.

"Toby," the man said. His voice had a certain lilt that suggested this man was not from around here.

"Who- who are you?"

"Don't you know?" The man crossed his arms.

The porchlight flickered.

"You're the Goblin King."

He tilted his head in acknowledgement and Toby adjusted his posture.

"Are you - Are you here to help me," Toby asked.

The Goblin King smirked. "However I can." He held up a gloved hand and snapped his fingers.

"What did you do?" Toby looked around.

"I have sent you back to before… but only this once shall I do it. Should there be a next time, you will have to offer something in return." The porchlight shattered and Toby's limbs shot out.

He let out a yelp, but steadied himself in time to watch the figure before him fade into shadow.

Toby blinked and he was back to standing before the front door. The porchlight was perfectly whole and working properly.

He frowned and looked down at himself, checking to make sure he was perfectly whole.

"It's open." A female voice said to his side.

He looked over and was met with the sight of red locks. Toby, for once, studied her facial features. She looked dejected and lonesome.

 _I have sent you back to before… but only this once shall I do it_.

"Thanks." Toby said and didn't spare her another glance. He pushed open the door and made a beeline straight for Isabelle. He didn't stop to look at the dancing teens, to listen to the thrashing music, or to admire the flickering colored lights.

"Isabelle." He said, and watched as the girl turned towards him.

"Hey, Toby." She smiled.

He remembered the direction she had been glancing in before, and maneuvered so that he was standing before and concealing the view of the football team.

"What's up?" She asked, filling in the silence.

"Isabelle," he said. His hands were by his side this time. Toby made sure to give her a searching, meaningful look before he began to recite the lines he had prepared. "I've got something to say."

She cocked her head.

"For these last few months I've been noticing you… and lately, I can't get you out of my mind. It's just-"

"-Oh, Toby." She interrupted. Shaking her head, she said, "Oh, no Toby… I can't." Isabelle sighed. "I don't feel the same way. I'm sorry."

He could feel the warmth in his cheeks again. His head felt heavy and his eyes burned. "Whatever," he said and turned away. Toby didn't want to hear her sympathies, or see her rush over to the football team again. He stormed out of the house, catching a glimpse of his red face in the mirror again.

Toby shoved the front door closed as his face met with the cool nighttime air. He ignored the loud reverberating bang the door made behind him.

"Is that the lasting impression you've decided to make? Storming out of a party like a spoiled little boy?" A rich, familiar voice inquired.

Toby frowned and scrubbed at an ich on his face. "I don't care." He said.

"Well, it seems to me that you care quite a lot."

Toby looked up at the figure before him. The man stood with regal poise, his arms crossed over brutal, menacing armor that was layered over a dark poets shirt and skintight pants.

Toby remained silent.

The Goblin King raised a brow. "Would you like to try again?"

"I don't know…"

"Toby?"

He sighed. "Yes, yes I would like to try again…"

"Good." The Goblin King smiled, but it did not meet his eyes. His feral teeth glinted in the porchlight.

Remembering his words, Toby asked, "What do you want in return?"

"Do you have anything of your sister's on you…?" He asked too quickly.

Toby frowned. "Why would you want anything of her's?"

"I must take something in return, boy. Would you rather it be something you hold precious, or would you rather it be a small object that your sister wouldn't miss?"

He made a good point. Toby relented, "Fine, my sister left her lipstick in the cupholder of my truck. You can have it."

The man's eyes flashed with delight.

"Done." The porchlight shattered.

Toby blinked and was standing before the front door once again.

"It's open," the redhead said.

He nodded and entered…

Five minutes later Toby found himself leaving the house once again. Cursing, he hit the wall just beneath the porchlight as the front door shut behind him. His fingers grasped his hair by the roots and he took a deep breath.

"Please send me back… I made a complete fool of myself."

The Goblin King raised an eyebrow.

"I mocked her after she rejected me… I'm so stupid. I just got so frustrated."

"Offer me something."

"One of my shoelaces?"

"Done."

The porchlight shattered...

"What will you give in return?"

"... Take a lock of my hair." He used his pocketknife and tugged at a blonde curl. It hurt to cut it off, but it didn't matter in the end. He placed it in the Goblin King's gloved palm.

"Done."

Light shattered…

It shattered three more times. Jareth asked Toby for something of his mother's. Toby had given him a sand dollar on the dashboard of his truck that Karen had given him from the beach. That time hadn't gone as planned, either. Toby ending up throwing fruit punch in the quarterback's face in front of everyone. In front of Isabelle.

He spent the next time deciding to just flirt with the girl, instead of outright asking her out. She'd grimaced and told him she had to go. The Goblin King had asked Toby for something of his father's. Toby had given him the gas money his father had offered to him the day before. To his surprise, the Goblin King had accepted it.

The third time he spent with the redhead outside, learning that her boyfriend had dumped her minutes before _and_ he had been her only ride. Toby didn't care, he was busy thinking of how he could woo Isabelle for the last time. He asked the redhead how her boyfriend had asked her out, she said he'd given her flowers. The Goblin King had asked for something of Merlin's that time. Toby had made a face and asked why in the world he'd want something from his dog. His reply was that dog's were less accepting of his "kind's" presence. Toby had shrugged and given him an old chew toy from the back of his truck.

Then the last time came - or so Toby had hoped it would be the last time. He waited to the familiar figure to appear before him, and when he did, Toby didn't waste a second.

"I need a flower…" Toby said, standing before the Goblin King.

If the king was tired out over Toby's expectations by this point, he didn't show it. "Really?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Please," Toby whined.

"Toby, I do not suggest you do this again…" He said, "You've reordered time too much."

" _Please_." Toby's voice cracked. He didn't care.

The man nodded and Toby was relieved that he wasn't putting up much of a fight.

The Goblin King raised a gloved hand, in it was a crimson red rose. It was perfect. Toby's hand reached out to grasp it, but before he could it was raised up in warning.

"You must give me something bigger this time." The man said.

"What do you want?" Toby asked, desperation lacing his voice.

"I want you to make a wish for me… _Specifically_ wish that your sister has no power over _me_."

"What? Why?"

"Do you want your dreams or not?" The Goblin King raised the rose further out of reach. His face was a mask of no emotion, but Toby saw desperation in his eyes that was stronger than the desperation he had ever felt.

"I do want my dreams…" Toby said.

"Then make a wish."

Toby nodded, his eyes trained on the rose. "I - I wish that my sister had no power over you." This was for Isabelle, of course, and he was sure he could trust the Goblin King. The Goblin King had been much more helpful to him than any of his family members as of now.

The porchlight flickered, and the Goblin King lowered the rose. Toby missed his wicked grin, missed the way his eyes held the smile this time and missed the way the light exposed his ethereal sharp features.

Toby took the rose.

The light shattered.

Isabelle had pricked her finger on the rose. There had been a surprising amount of blood. Toby had frozen up after that and had reluctantly taken the flower back when she'd shoved it in his face. He could have sworn there were no thorns on it when the Goblin King had handed it to him…

When he passed the mirror on the way out he noticed his skin was practically the same shade of red as the rose.

Toby blinked as the door shut behind him, noticing that the flower had disappeared from his hand. He turned, expecting the Goblin King to be waiting behind him, but was met with red curly hair again.

"It's open," she said.

"I know," Toby snorted, "Didn't you see that I just came out from there?"

She looked confused, then laughed. "No you didn't, silly. I just watched you get out of your truck and walk up the porch stairs." The redhead rolled her eyes and turned away from him.

Toby frowned. Then his expression brightened. Maybe the Goblin King was showing mercy on him and had already reordered time without asking for a price?

He reached for the door handle and pulled it open. Multicolored lights encased his figure as he stepped into the house.

Toby blinked.

He was outside again, his hand outstretched for the handle.

"It's open," the redhead said.

Toby's eyes widened in shock. A feeling of cold ice rolled down his spine and settled in the pit of his stomach.

He barged in the door and pushed his way through the crowd. "Isabelle," he called to the girl. Her back was turned towards him, and when she began to turn around Toby blinked again.

Only he realized that this time it wasn't him blinking. It was the world going dark - the world being reset.

He was standing before the front door again.

"It's-"

"-Shut up." Toby said.

He took off straight towards his truck. Unlocking it with shaking hands and hastily buckling his seatbelt once inside. The engine started with a loud pop, and he pulled out from the side of the street. His foot his the gas and he sped out, flying down the street faster than was legal. He had to get home… He had to get help… If he got further away perhaps this whole thing would go away.

Words floated through Toby's head.

_...You've reordered time too much._

He hit the gas harder. The truck protested, but sped up all the same. It was a small town… He could make it home… He could…

The world went dark.

"It's open."

He opened his eyes to see the familiar front door.

"I've broken time," he whispered. His face felt hot, his eyes burned with the beginnings of tears.

"What?" The redhead looked at him.

Toby ignored her. He ran down the porch and stood on the patchy green grass. "Goblin King," he shouted.

"Goblin King, _answer me_!"

The redhead got up from where she was sitting with a concerned expression. She gave him one last judging look and entered the house. He didn't care.

"Please, Goblin King." His voice wavered. Toby could hear his own heart beating at a rapid pace.

"I wish the Goblin King would come here right now," he shouted. The music in the background went silent, the porch light flickered and the wind seemed to freeze in it's spot. The night was the quietest he'd ever heard it.

"What did you do?" Toby asked as he felt a presence join him.

"I've frozen time." The voice said.

Toby did not turn to look at him. Instead, he felt resentment building up in his chest. "Why do I keep getting sent back?"

Something shimmered, it was as if he could _feel_ the strange man's amusement. "There are reasons why immortal beings such as I do not mess with time for the sake of it… I made an exception for you, Toby."

"What do you mean?" The boy's words came out from clenched teeth.

"I mean that I have reordered time for you. I have turned the world upside down for you… And I have exhausted myself for you."

"No," Toby shook his head. "You broke something."

" _No_ , you _broke_ it." The Goblin king sneered. "I warned you. You should never take my kind's warnings lightly, _boy_."

Toby closed his eyes. "Please fix it…"

"Give me something in return."

"I _don't_ have anything," his voice wavered. He felt so weak and powerless.

"Then wish again for me…"

Toby said nothing.

"Wish for me to have something - _anything_ that I want."

"You can't grant your own wishes?"

"Not this one." He sounded frustrated.

Toby frowned. His cheeks were tear stained now. He opened his eyes and stared at the ground. "But I don't want to give _you_ anything."

The Goblin King chuckled. "Well, then you are stuck here in the dimension of broken time… Unless you wish."

Toby grimaced. "Fine. _Fine_. I wish that _you_ can have the thing you want - whatever it is…" Toby felt a breeze break the silent night. He quickly added, "As long as it hurts no one in any way."

Behind him, the Goblin King grinned. "Oh, Toby. I never had any intentions in hurting anyone."

The music resumed in the house. Toby sighed in partial relief. The beat of the music changed, it was more sporadic - more chaotic. The ground shook around him.

Toby whipped around to look at the Goblin King, but the yard was empty. The trees shook around him. The noise became louder and louder.

He covered his ears with his hands. The world began shaking around him, and then Toby felt as if the world was falling down.

* * *

Gasping awake, Toby shot up from his bed covers. The alarm on his nightstand next to him seemed as if it had been going off for minutes while he slept. In a foggy haze, Toby reached over and turned it off.

Shuffling downstairs, he followed the smell of bacon and eggs coming from the kitchen. He heard the familiar laughter of his sister Sarah. Toby always loved it when she visited.

He entered the kitchen and saw Sarah standing with another man. She was gazing at him with a smile on her face and he looked at her as if she was the most precious thing he'd ever seen.

The man had sharp cheekbones and feral teeth…

Feral teeth? Where had that thought came from? Toby scratched his head.

He was dressed in very tight jeans and a leather jacket. His hair was short and perfectly styled as ever.

"Hey, Jareth." Toby greeted. "Didn't know you were here." He went straight towards the fridge, and pulled out a carton of milk.

"Ah, yes." Jareth said, his accented voice striking an odd feeling in Toby. "Sarah wanted to bring me along with her on her visit. It's been lovely."

Toby pulled out a glass from the cabinets above him. "How long are you guys staying?"

Sarah pulled away from the man. "A week and six days." Jareth gave her a gooey smile. Toby ignored it.

Thirteen days.

Toby frowned as he began pouring his milk. "You know Jareth… I think I dreamed about you last night…"

"Did you now?"

"Yes," Toby looked lost. "But I can't remember what happened…"

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I hoped you enjoyed. :) Please tell me what you thought! Little one shot with a plot bunny I couldn't get out of my head a while back. Slightly darker-ish Jareth, depending on how you look at it.


End file.
